Breaking news: Brent Venable of the Oklahoma sooner football has invested $12.6 million to transform a house into a shelter for homeless youth in Oklahoma after……..
Breaking news: Brent
Venable of the Oklahoma sooner football has invested $12.6 million to transform a house into a shelter for homeless youth in Oklahoma after……..
In a powerful display of compassion and community leadership, **Brent Venables**, head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football team**, has made a personal investment of **\$12.6 million** to establish a shelter for homeless youth in Oklahoma. The project, which has been kept under wraps for months, was formally announced today at a press conference on the University of Oklahoma campus.
The facility — named **“Crimson Haven Youth Shelter”** — will serve as a safe space for at-risk and homeless youth, offering not only temporary housing but also educational support, life-skills programs, counseling, and mentorship opportunities.
Brent Venables, who took over as Oklahoma’s head coach in 2022, is widely respected for his fierce defensive coaching and commitment to building high-character athletes. However, this latest move shows a deeper side of his leadership, one rooted in giving back to a community he has come to deeply love.
This isn’t about headlines or public image,” Venables said during the press event. “It’s about doing what’s right. I’ve been blessed beyond measure, and I believe it’s my responsibility to give back — especially to those who don’t have the privileges many of us take for granted.”
According to Venables, the idea began forming after a campus volunteer initiative in 2023, where he and several players helped distribute food to families in need. That experience, he said, opened his eyes to the realities many young people face just blocks away from the university’s stadium.
Crimson Haven will be located on a 15-acre property just outside Norman. The facility will feature dorm-style housing for up to 80 youth at a time, classrooms for tutoring and GED preparation, counseling offices, a dining hall, recreation areas, and a mentorship center.
Construction is already underway, and the shelter is expected to be fully operational by spring 2026. Local nonprofits, educators, and mental health professionals have already committed to helping operate the facility once it opens.
This project will have a transformational impact,” said Norman Mayor Breea Clark. “Coach Venables has not only put his money into this — he’s put his heart into it. Crimson Haven will be a cornerstone of our community.
Reaction across the University of Oklahoma and college football communities was swift and overwhelmingly positive. Players, alumni, and fans praised Venables not just for the generosity of the gesture, but for living the values he promotes daily within the football program.
Coach always tells us that being a man is about more than football,” said Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold. “Now we see exactly what he means.
The Oklahoma Sooners football team has already announced plans to support the shelter through fundraisers, volunteer events, and mentoring opportunities — a move that could set a new model for how college athletic programs give back to their local communities.
Venables’ move has also caught the attention of national sports media and social leaders who view it as a refreshing counter-narrative to negative headlines often associated with college sports. His actions are being hailed as a blueprint for how high-profile coaches can use their platforms and wealth to directly impact lives.
In a world where money talks, Coach Venables is letting his money *serve*,” said ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit. “This is how legacies are built — not just through wins, but through selfless impact.
For Brent Venables, this isn’t a one-time act of generosity — it’s the beginning of what he hopes will be a long-term movement.
I want every kid who walks through those doors to know that someone sees them, believes in them, and wants to help them become more,” he said, his voice steady with emotion. “If that’s the only thing I’m remembered for, I’ll take it.
Crimson Haven stands as a symbol of hope, built not on concrete and steel alone, but on empathy, leadership, and the unwavering belief that no young person should be left behind.
